Partying Like It’s 1893 Last Night at Atwood Cafe

What a 19th century-sized president ate.Photo: courtesy Anthony Todd/Chicagoist

Next doesn’t do the menu-inspired-by-a-time-and-place any more, but others do; we’ve often called your attention to Big Jones’ moment-specific Southern menus, and Chicagoist has pics and a report on a cool one that Derek Simcik of Atwood Cafe (in the Daniel Burnham-designed Reliance Building) did last night. Per Anthony Todd:

What most people don’t realize is that a true highlight of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition was the banquets. At least for food history geeks, the zillions of special meals, menus and fetes that awaited dignitaries and regular guests alike are one of the coolest parts of World’s Fair history… While Simcik didn’t literally recreate the menu from the President’s visit to the opening of the World’s Fair, he took bits and pieces of the menu as inspiration.

Simcik’s modern takes on the dishes, which included modern 2013 touches like pickled ramps, nevertheless provide a window into 1893 dining; check the slideshow out. [Chicagoist]